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Overclocking:::...
With our regular P4-2.4c based rig out of action, I switched testing to the following:
- DFI LANParty NF3-250GB Motherboard
- Connect3D Radeon X800XT-PE Graphics
- Western Digital WD1200JB HDD
- AMD Athlon64 3400+
The modules were initially left at 1.5-2-2-5 and the voltage upped to 2.8v.
What I found most impressive was that I could drag the modules all the way up to 230MHz (460MHz DDR) without slackening from 1.5-2-2-5!
Slackening off slightly to 2-3-3-6 took me up to the 270MHz mark, which is approaching the upper limits of this particular test platform.
At 3-4-4-8 I was able to tentatively reach around 290MHz at 2.8V, and this is about 5MHz beyond the highest overclock I've been able to reach on this particular test platform. It wasn't 100% stable to be frank, but it got there, one up on anything else I've tested on that platform. With our 2.4C platform temporarily out of action that was the ceiling reached and nothing I tried would get me any further..
I've little doubt these modules are perfectly capable of hitting 300MHz, not that all of you will have systems capable of getting them there.
Conclusion
The 3DVelocity 'Dual Conclusions Concept' Explained: After discussing this concept with users as well as companies and vendors we work with, 3DVelocity have decided that where necessary we shall aim to introduce our 'Dual Conclusions Concept' to sum up our thoughts and impressions on the hardware we review. As the needs of the more experienced users and enthusiasts have increased, it has become more difficult to factor in all the aspects that such a user would find important, while also being fair to products that may lack these high end "bonus" capabilities but which still represent a very good buy for the more traditional and more prevalent mainstream user. The two categories we've used are:
The Mainstream User ~ The mainstream user is likely to put price, stock performance, value for money, reliability and/or warranty terms ahead of the need for hardware that operates beyond its design specifications. The mainstream user may be a PC novice or may be an experienced user, however their needs are clearly very different to those of the enthusiast, in that they want to buy products that operate efficiently and reliably within their advertised parameters.
The Enthusiast ~ The enthusiast cares about all the things that the mainstream user cares about but is more likely to accept a weakness in one or more of these things in exchange for some measure of performance or functionality beyond its design brief. For example, a high priced motherboard may be tolerated in exchange for unusually high levels of overclocking ability or alternatively an unusually large heat sink with a very poor fixing mechanism may be considered acceptable if it offers significantly superior cooling in return.
The Mainstream User ~
Unless you're overclocking or want to have something to brag about in the pub to mates who probably have no idea what you're banging on about, GeIL's One series memory is massive overkill.
On a basic current system running at stock speeds, One can do nothing that it's considerably cheaper counterparts can't.
The Enthusiast ~
Apart from the potential to reach higher frequencies, the benefits to running your PC at latencies like CL1.5 are almost invisible, but that's not entirely the point. At a time when memory manufacturers are scraping for something new and different to add to their product portfolio, GeIL have demonstrated that they have the technology, the experience and the clout to pull off something that many said couldn't be done. It could be argued that it is at least more beneficial than flashing LEDs!
Low latency memory would have been a real plus when memory frequencies were a mere 100MHz, but as speeds have climbed so latency has become less of a determining factor.
The price premium you pay for these bragging rights isn't insignificant, regardless, GeIL were first to market them, they overclock extremely well and are as fast or faster than much of what's available at the moment, so I can't in all honesty do anything put slap up an award for a job incredibly well done! Just bare in mind that the award is more for the achievement than the raw performance.
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